Decisions-

A/N: I'm not real happy with this chapter but I felt really bad for making you all wait so here it is. Again I appologise for taking so long and I'll make more of an effort for the next chapter. I hope you still like this story... I'm kinda just writting it by the seat of my pants. But anyway let me know what you all think. Oh and thank you soooo much for all your wonderful review:)

Summer woke the next morning with her face butted up against the wall. She opened her eyes but shut them immediately as the pain seared through her head. Oh god what happened last night, she thought. Somewhere between consuming several shots at the bar and helping Marissa with her belt, the night had turned completely hazy. She wasn't even sure how she ended up back in her bed but one thing was certain, her breath still reaked of alcohol. She desperatedly needed to brush her teeth, guzzle a gallon of water, and OD on Tylenol. A loud groan escaped her lips as she rolled over onto a not so flat surface. It was rather bony, and not at all soft as she'd expected.

She opened her eyes and looked down at none other than Seth. "Cohen!" she yelled.

He jerked out of sleep immediately at her shrill cry. Their eyes met. Both were a mask of confusion but for very different reasons. "Um, hi," he said shyly.

Summer sat up, still staring at him with the same confused face. "What are you doing here?"

Seth felt a knot in his stomach at the revelation that she didn't remember what transpired last night. "Um... ha, you don't remember anything?"

Summer rubbed her head as if she would miraculously be able to recall everything. "Yeah, some, but I don't remember this um... arrangement," she said gesturing to the two of them in her bed. Sleeping in a bed with Seth scared her more than it should have. Did anything else happen? Did they kiss?

Noticing the expression on her face Seth quickly interjected, "Oh don't worry nothing happened. You just passed out and wanted me to stay..."

"Oh," she said climbing over him and off the bed. "I ah I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back." She slipped out the door and went to the water fountain to suck down some water. She really left so she could clear her head but just the sight of the water fountain brought moisture back to her dry mouth. She didn't know why sleeping in a bed with Seth really bothered her, perhaps because they had so much history. But Seth wasn't just her ex-boyfriend or just her boyfriend when they were together, he was also one of her best friends. There had been a lingering thought of getting back together for a while now but she was afraid nothing had changed and something would easily split them apart again. She didn't know if her heart or their friendship could survive it and not having Seth in her life at all would be the worst. When she felt confident enough to face him she went back in.

Seth had moved to Marissa's bed where he was tieing his shoes. She stood for a moment in the doorway just watching him. "You leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah it's already pretty late and I have a paper to write."

"Oh," she said looking a little defeated. "I thought maybe we could go to breakfast and you could tell me what actually happened last night," she said with a chuckle.

What actually happened last night. Seth's mind flashed through the events. "You want to dance?... I need a few more shots if we're gonna do that... I love you Cohen..." It had been a memorable night for him, having her in his arms again, sharing a bed. The "I love you" was like an arrow to his heart and she didn't even remember. Did it mean anything at all? "A drunk man speaks a sober mind," he once read. He didn't really know if it was true or not but from his experiences last night he hoped that it was. "I'm sorry but if I don't finish this now it'll be hell tomorrow, but I'm sure the four of us will have dinner tonight and tease you to no end."

"Right, sounds like fun," she said rolling her eyes but with a smile.

"Alright, well see ya." He had his hand on the door knob before she stopped him.

"Hey wait... thanks," she said as sincerely and sweetly as she could muster.

His dimples flashed quickly. "You know I'd do anything for you," he said softly before slipping out.

Summer had an adoring look on her face for a while before she sank to the bed with a groan. Her hand pawed around on the floor before she came up with the Tylenol. She popped several into her mouth, swallowing them dry. She closed her eyes and pulled the covers over her. It smelled like Seth.

Marissa and Summer were heading to the commons for dinner where they were to meet Ryan and Seth. It was Sunday which meant the campus was pretty deserted. Today was no exception.

"So you had no idea until you woke up that Seth had spent the night?"

"Ahhh duh Coop! I was quite surprised."

"Pleasantly surprised...?" Marissa asked trying to hint at her current feelings for Seth.

Summer flashed her a 'don't go there look.' "Cohen and I are just friends."

Marissa nodded, deep in thought. "Well you too were all over each other at the party."

Summer snapped her head around. "All over each other? Did anything happen? We didn't kiss did we?"

"Ah, I was a little busy with Ryan," she said shyly, "so I don't really know. I wouldn't be surprised though. You were dancing together for quite a while. You actually looked kind of cute until you fell down. I did happen to catch that part." She laughed at the memory.

"Oh nice. I always tend to lose my legs when I drink or at least that's what people tell me and by people I mean you... But seriously!... you are sooo not helping me," she whined.

"And how am I supposed to be helping you Sum?" Marissa asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh I don't know... giving me advice?" She suddenly brightened, "Or better yet caux out of Ryan whatever Seth tells him... get the dirty details... or just the details, hopefully not the dirty details."

"Wow, you're really starting to sound like Seth... Ouch," she yelped after Summer slapped her.

"Don't even say that. That's so not cool."

"You know what they say couples start to sound a like."

"It's look a like," she said with little thought then realised what she said. "Me and Cohen are not together!"

"Not yet," Marissa whispered under her breath.

"Seth why are you so quiet? It's kinda freaking me out." Ryan turned to Seth who was staring into space.

He still wouldn't look at him but hung his head instead. "Just thinking about last night with Summer."

"Oh great here we go again," Ryan said kind of under his breath.

"Don't worry, I'll spare you this once. I don't feel like talking about it... again."

Ryan's face quickly turned into one of complete shock. "Ok what happened to Seth? You're not him."

Seth finally looked up to his face. "Well, I gotta change for Summer. I might as well start somewhere."

"Well dude you don't need to cut out Seth/Ryan time, it used to be one of your favorite times of the day... but ah, I'm here for you buddy."

Seth smiled. "Thanks man." He paused for a second contemplating something. "So what do you think I should do?"

Ryan grinned. "That didn't last long man..."

Dinner was slightly awkward but nothing they couldn't get through. Awkward went hand in hand with the fantastic four. They had overcome a lot, with the infamous shooting crisis, the whole college scene and realising they were destined to go together, Seth and Summer at the beginning of their relationship sophomore year, the whole Oliver issue and surely many other things. As soon as the trio had reinacted Summer's drunkin state, the mood was much lighter. The awkward part came about when Marissa told her that it was Seth that had decided to walk her back to the dorm, but it stopped at that. Seth didn't volunteer any more information.

The next week went by incredibly slow. It was that lovely time of the month when the first exams would take place. It didn't compare to finals or midterms but it was no picnic to have several tests all in about a week span. Neither Summer or Marissa were good about waking up for their early classes and were kicking themselves about now. They spent a lot of time in the library together to make sure the other was actually studying. They rarely had time to meet up with Seth and Ryan... well more Summer than Marissa because she actually made the effort, but the foursome didn't have dinner together at all that week.

Summer woke at the sound of Sean Paul blaring out of her alarm clock Friday morning. It was 8 am, the earliest she had gotten up all year. She didn't know why it was so hard to get up this early because in high school she had gotten up at 7. She dragged herself out of bed and forcefully slapped the off button. Marissa didn't need to get up for another two hours. Being a heavy sleeper, she was still sound asleep, which meant when her alarm went off it could be heard all the way down the hall. She wondered how much their neighbors appreciated that. Summer got dressed and did her makeup in silence. She had a test in Psychology at 9 and then a meeting with the dean. She wondered what it was all about but considering how Marissa got a meeting too it was probably mandatory for all freshman. Summer glazed over her notes a few more times before slipping out the door. The test was fairly easy and she felt pretty good about the result. She was lucky the guy across the hall was in her class and they exchanged notes because she had only made it to a handful of classes.

"Hi, I have a meeting with the dean," Summer said to the receptionist.

"Ok, what's your name?"

"Summer Roberts."

"He'll be right with you." Summer had a seat on the couch for a few minutes before a tall, middle aged man ushered her into his office. She shock his hand and sat in the chair opposite his desk looking unsure.

"So we schedule a meeting with every freshman around this time to see how things are going. He figure you've had enough time to adjust and settle into some sort of routine. It's our job to make sure you're maximizing your education but more importantly the college experience... So how are classes?"

Summer shrugged. "Good I guess." She really didn't know how to answer that question. Classes were just that, good, nothing special.

He nodded gazing down at a paper on his desk. "I see your major is undecided. Have you any ideas what you want to do?"

Summer shrugged again. This meeting was becoming steadily awkward. "Um, well, not really."

He smiled briefly. "Well what are you interested in, what are your hobbies? Maybe I can help you choose some classes that can help guide you into a favorable career."

Summer thought long and hard for several minutes. What was she interested in? She had two hobbies, shopping and sunbathing. She surely could not say that. She would get laughed at. Most people her age had some sort of hobby that centered around sports, art, music or some favorite academic subject. Her favorite sport consisted of watching; art? well now that consisted of watching Cohen draw; music?... she liked to listen to it... did that count for anything?; subject? anything that was easy. The dean's eyes were boring into her head so she figured she'd better answer. "Um... I don't really know," she said softly.

"Nothing at all?" he persisted.

"Shopping...?" she said with a chuckle. She figured sunbathing would be a little much.

He expressed no emotion. "Here's what I'm gonna have you do. There is a link on the USC website that will direct you to a questionnaire. You'll answer a bunch of questions about your likes and dislikes and it will evaluate how good you are in certain areas. Print up your results, email me back, and we'll set up another meeting. Ok?"

"Sure," Summer replied dryly. Just what she wanted, another meeting.

Later that afternoon Summer was sitting at her computer just staring at the screen as music blared out of the speakers. She was bored, lonely and felt completely lost. She couldn't help dwelling over her meeting. Picking a major was so final, so decisive. Deciding what she wanted to do with the rest of her life at the age of 18 just didn't seem possible nor did it make much sense. Surfing through the list of majors the university offered only perpetuated her wandering mind. Now her head was so far immersed in the future it overwhelmed her like a shot to the head. In four years she would make a transition into the real world, except it wasn't so much of a transition as rather being pushed. She couldn't go back to Newport and become a Newbsie, she wanted to make something of her life but what exactly she had no idea. Perhaps it was quite normal to be confused but her other friends weren't facing her dilemma. They had all declared a major.

She skimmed over her buddy list and stopped at IronistAndOats06.

theValleyGurl: hey Seth i have a question...

IronistAndOats06: shoot

theValleyGurl: what am i good at?

IronistAndOats06: what r u good at?... hmmm being a bitch:)

theValleyGurl: ha! so not funny... seriously though

IronistAndOats06: i was being serious but you're good at a lot of things

theValleyGurl: like?

theValleyGurl: well?

IronistAndOats06: gimme a second

theValleyGurl: is it that hard to think of something:(

IronistAndOats06: nooooo... you have a great sense of style, you are an amazing friend, you have a huge heart

theValleyGurl: Cohen that's not anything i'm good at

IronistAndOats06: i'm not done yet... those things translate into being creative, loyal, trustworthy

theValleyGurl: again... not helping... ugh this is a waste of time

IronistAndOats06: what do you want me to say? what is this for?

theValleyGurl: i had a meeting with the dean... he wanted me to figure out what i'm good at and what i liked to figure out what the hell to major in

IronistAndOats06: oh i understand... well it's pretty much trial and era... what did you like in high school?

theValleyGurl: nothing

IronistAndOats06: i'm hurt... you didn't like me:(

theValleyGurl: always about you huh?

IronistAndOats06: not in a joking mood... i get it

theValleyGurl: sorry i'm just lost... you guys already have a major picked out

IronistAndOats06: you know Summer, you're only a freshman, you have plenty of time to think about this

theValleyGurl: i don't want to be in college forever

IronistAndOats06: it's not gonna take you forever to figure out what you like

theValleyGurl: how can you be so sure?

IronistAndOats06: ahhh i don't know... just have a little faith... listen, Marissa and Ryan are staying here tonight for a sex fest so how bout we hang out?

theValleyGurl: sure, i'm not in the mood for much... maybe a movie

IronistAndOats06: great i'll bring the goonies

theValleyGurl: grreeeeat

IronistAndOats06: you know you love it

Summer found herself nervously checking her hair in the mirror before Seth's arrival. They had seen each other countless times but not once could she remember him seeing her without make up and a properly arranged hair do. Little did she know it had occured last weekend. She applied a shear glaze of lip gloss to her lips as the sound of Seth's knuckles sounded on the door. She opened it to a broadly grinning Seth. He thrusted The Goonies into her hand without so much as hello. They were so used to each other they didn't need to exchange pleasantries.

"Do we really have to watch this?" she whined.

"Yes," he said inviting himself in the room.

"Mmmm actually I have home court advantage sooooo I get to choose." She smiled at her own intelligence and went to rifle through her and Marissa's DVD collection.

Seth settled into her computer chair and helped himself to the internet. "Home court advantage?"

"Yes it's a basketball reference, but obviously nerdy comic book lover over there wouldn't realise that."

"Ohh ha ha ha ha," he sarcastically said, playing special emphasis to each word. He ignored their banter for a moment as he opened Internet Explorer from her task bar. In front of him was the USC website and what looked like some sort of questionnaire. "What's this Summer?"

She turned to face him, walking to her desk and looked over his shoulder. "Must you always go through my stuff?"

"Yes cause then it just wouldn't be me."

She rolled her eyes. "It's the questionnaire the dean wanted me to take." She sat down on the edge of her bed looking for the tv remote.

"Yeah? So did you figure out what you like?"

"Ahh I haven't taken it yet," she mumbled distractedly.

"Why not?" he pushed. "You've been sitting here long enough."

"Why are you pushing this?" She turned to look at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Oh sorry gees," he said backing away. "I just figured you'd be anxious to take it."

She got up to pop in the DVD she selected without his consent. "Well I don't really care that much really."

Seth got up and tugged his shoes off. He was lying in her bed as she played with the DVD player. "You're such a liar. Why would you go through all the trouble to find out from me what you were good at?"

"Yes and trouble it was," she replied with thick sarcasm.

"Ok, true," he succumbed. "So aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Of course I am," she said now facing him. "I'm just scared of the future," she said softer. "I have to decide something now that will inevitably effect everything in my life? No thanks. By the way get out of my bed," she said with more vim, wanting to change the subject.

"Well where else am I supposed to enjoy the... what movie is it?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," she said with a wide smile. "Well if you're gonna stay there at least make room for me." She layed down beside him while he had is arms crossed under his head. Not once could he remember them being this open and couply with nothing more than a friendship. He wasn't about to complain though, cause being near her was enough, at least for now. He just hoped things would progress to something more.

"Oh nooooo, not the Valley," he complained upon hearing the theme song.

"Like I said home court advantage baby."

"Whatever." He smiled slightly at her and tried to hide the fact that he secretly enjoyed the show.

About five minutes into the episode there was another knock at the door. Summer was confused who it could be and even more upset that she had to divert her eyes from the screen even though she had seen it about a thousand times. She opened the door and stood face to face with an unfamiliar face. She looked at him skeptically.

"You don't remember me do you?" he asked playing from her facial expression.

"Mmmm I want to say I do but... no."

"Soc? We sat next to each other the other day?"

"Ohhh right!" she replied with a wide smile, recalling the memory.

Summer had parked herself in her usual spot in the lecture hall. She was glad the class was only 50 minutes. She really enjoyed her professor but other than that the class was a waste of time, just good for three credits. She pulled out her notebook from her bag and opened up to a new page. She hadn't noticed someone sit beside her but she did sense his gaze upon her. Summer would never outwardly stare at someone else but this guy however was blatantly obvious. "Hi," he said. At hello and a joining of their eyes Summer took in his appearance. He had gorgeous features and bright blue eyes. His hair was shaggy and fell past his ears, his clothes were definitely more than alright. Upon taking in his appearance she smiled and replied. He flashed his perfect teeth and dug around in his bag. There had been idle chit chat between the two of them throughout class. They got some particulars; name, dorm (surprisingly they shared the same one), hometown and if they had a significant other. Both said no. Their professor had come hobbling into class. When he got to the front he told the story of how a fellow faculty member had hit him with her car. Some people busted out laughing while others plastered a look of shock and concern. A few of the boisterous students in the front pestered him to tell the story. He eventually caved, putting off the lesson plan for a few minutes. "I was in the cross walk, walking out to my car from my office and one car stopped so I figured the other one would to but no she kept on coming. I looked up and was like oh shit, then I was hit. She claimed she hadn't seen me." The class laughed.

"Was that before or after she put down her crack pipe?" Dave asked. He said it loud enough for the people around him to hear but Professor Spiller had missed it. Summer let fly her patented giggle and earned a broad smile from the guy beside her. At the end of class they awkwardly exchanged goodbyes. "I'll see you around Summer," he said. "Yeah you too Dave. Nice meeting you."

Now Dave was standing at her door. "What's up he asked? I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to hang out."

Seth having watched the whole scene take place suddenly coughed loud to make his presense known. He stood up and joined Summer by the door.

Dave blushed a little. "Ohh sorry I didn't know you had company. Another time I guess. Bye Summer," he said before walking away with just as much confidence as he had before.

"That's right bu-bye now," Seth replied.

Summer's mouth was caught open before Seth pushed the door closed for her.

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